TWW-Remorse and Repentance

The Wired Word for the Week of June 26, 2024

After Years of Denial, Imprisoned Woman Takes Responsibility for Husband's Murder

In the News

Pamela Smart, who is serving life in prison for plotting with her teenage lover to have her husband killed, has now accepted full responsibility for his 1990 murder. The videotaped statement she made to that effect this month is her first admission of the extent of her responsibility. She made the video as part of her latest sentence reduction request.

In 1990, Smart, then 22, was a high school media coordinator in New Hampshire who began an affair with a boy of 15 named William "Billy" Flynn, who with the help of three friends, later shot and killed her husband Greggory Smart.

At the time, Pamela Smart denied knowledge of the plot, but she was recorded making some conflicting statements. At her trial the prosecutor said Smart wanted to avoid an expensive divorce and benefit from a $140,000 life insurance policy on her husband. The prosecution also said she seduced Flynn and threatened to withhold sex from him unless he killed her husband. Smart was ultimately found guilty of being an accomplice to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and witness tampering, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

All four of the boys who were involved in the murder have served long prison sentences but are now out on parole. For Flynn and one of the others, the parole is to last for the rest of their lives.

Smart, now having been imprisoned for nearly 34 years, has been involved in good works within the prison system. Behind bars, she has earned a bachelor's degree, two master's degrees and a doctorate in ministry. She has been ordained by Christ's Church Fellowship International and serves on an inmate liaison committee.

Now requesting a sentence reduction from the New Hampshire Executive Committee and Gov. Chris Sununu, Smart said in the video, "I had to acknowledge for the first time in my own mind and my own heart how responsible I was, because I had deflected blame all the time, I think, almost as if it was a coping mechanism, because the truth of being so responsible was very difficult for me." And in a letter to the governor, she said, "I made excuses, dismissed my own involvement, and blamed everyone else but myself," and added that she "became comfortable in my warped logic."

"I am the one to blame for his absence from this world," Smart said regarding her husband.

Smart has nearly 30 letters of support, some from people in the corrections system.

The New Hampshire authorities have not yet considered Smart's sentence reduction request.

Smart is not the first person convicted of murder to become a minister. In Scotland, in 1969, 24-year-old James Nelson was sentenced to life in prison for beating his mother to death. After being released on parole in 1979, he began a course of religious studies and eventually applied to the Church of Scotland to enter the ministry. When this became known throughout that denomination, it raised an outcry, especially after Nelson's father stated that his son had never expressed any regret or remorse for murdering his mother.

Several journalists who had interviewed Nelson confirmed his lack of expressed remorse.

But Nelson did have support among some in the church, including from a ministerial student Nelson married.

At the Church of Scotland's 1984 General Assembly, there was a move to prevent Nelson from being allowed to proceed to the ministry. However, one church leader argued that if the church truly believed in forgiveness and the grace of God, it should not prevent anyone, regardless of their criminal record, from entering the ministry. And that convinced enough of those at the assembly that Nelson was permitted to proceed. According to one observer, the assembly resolved Nelson's case by concluding that the church "was not saying, 'you are definitively a fit and proper person to be the shepherd to a flock.' It was saying, 'we can't say that you're not.'"

In the Church of Scotland, parish ministers are chosen by the congregation. Nelson was eventually called by two linked parishes, where many parishioners who had been living in Glasgow slums had been given a second chance in new housing estates. They voted to give Nelson a second chance too.

Observers of the Assembly noted that the argument in favor of Nelson's proceeding into the ministry based on forgiveness and grace of God missed the point that Nelson had shown neither remorse nor contrition, which would have been a stronger argument against his ministry than the crime of which he had been convicted.

In his book about Nelson, The Minister and the Murderer, Stuart Kelly, writes, "Every emotional part of me wanted him to be a genuine convert, and every intellectual part of me whispered he was a clever fake … I had made the mistake I always make. I thought it could be thought through." But Stuart concluded that we can't know what is in someone's heart.

Nelson served those parishes without incident, and died, in 2005, at the age of 60.

It remains to be seen whether Smart's admission of responsibility for her husband's death will result in a sentence reduction. It may be that whatever ministry she is able to have will be within the prison where she is currently incarcerated.

Applying the News Story

Remorse is an important emotion, closely allied with guilt and self-directed resentment. But theologically speaking, it is good for remorse to lead into repentance.

Remorse leading to repentance:

Let’s look at Psalm 51 now instead of later.

The heading for Psalm 51 labels it:

A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him [in 2 Samuel 12:1], after he had gone in to Bathsheba. [Where Nathan told David the woes that he had brought NOT just on himself, but his family. Especially that the child conceived in sin would die.]

In response David cries out to God:

Psalm 51:1–19 (NLT) Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. 5 For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 6 But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. 9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. 14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. 15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. 16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

It would SEEM this is the cry of godly remorse — not worldly remorse (uh, oh, I’ve been caught and I am ashamed in front of others, my men, royal society, etc.). Agree/Disagree

This SEEMS to be one example of remorse — more accurately, GODLY remorse.

This is pre-Christ, but would you describe David as a follower of God? How did his adultery and the killing of the husband, Uriah (which involved at least David’s general Joab, but probably others) affect David’s standing as a God-follower?

And yet: Acts 13:20–23 (LSB) “After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 “And after He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, about whom He also said, bearing witness, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’ 23 “From the seed of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus,

Questions: In confessing that his sin is against God alone, the psalmist is taking responsibility for his wrongdoing, but can this be a completed repentance without also addressing whatever person or persons he may have sinned against? If you were a pastor hearing his prayer, what might you suggest to him?

Look at another example:

2 Corinthians 7:8–13 (NLT) I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. 9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. 10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 11 Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right. 12 My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us. 13 We have been greatly encouraged by this. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease.

Stanley Horton writing in his commentary on I & II Corinthians says:

The letter that caused sorrow was the painful letter delivered by Titus (already mentioned in 2:3) [apparently a letter that has been lost and pre-dates 1 Corinthians].

Paul did regret having to cause them sorrow, but he no longer regretted it. Instead, he rejoiced because the letter was effective. It caused repentance on the part of the Corinthian believers and prepared the way for the reconciliation Paul asks for in this letter.

Thus, their sorrow was a sorrow that God wanted to see. God was the one who prompted Paul to write the painful letter, so the outcome was that the Corinthians were hurt only for a little while. So Paul did them no harm by the letter.

The Corinthians proved their sorrow was godly by how they reacted to Paul’s letter.

What a contrast there is between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow.

Godly sorrow brings repentance, a complete change of mind and attitudes. This leads to salvation, including all the blessings of the gospel. It leaves no regret, for the past sins are not only forgiven, they are gone (Isa. 1:18; 38:17; 43:25; Mic. 7:19; Acts 3:19; Heb. 10:17).

The Lesson says:

As the Christian Word Book explains, "Derived from the Greek word metanoia, repentance literally means 'a change of mind' or 'a change of direction.' In contrast with remorse, which is merely being sorry for one's actions, repentance means acknowledging one's error and seeking a new orientation and direction. The French word for 'thinking' is pensé and comes close to the idea involved in repentance (re-pensé). It is a rethinking of one's situation and determination to chart a different course."

Taking responsibility for one's actions can lead to repentance as well.

The Complete Biblical Library tells us:

The apostle revealed much about the doctrine of repentance here. He stressed that sorrow is not repentance. In fact, only godly sorrow works toward repentance. It is from God, produced by the Holy Spirit. It is also directed toward [God] for having offended Him through sin.

Worldly sorrow, in contrast, may involve remorse, regret, and guilty feelings that do not go away. It ultimately brings death.

The Complete Biblical Library reminds us:

Of King Saul who sensed only the sorrow of this world at his rejection by Jehovah. It caused him concern lest he lose respect in the eyes of the men of the army he commanded. When the prophet Samuel refused to help him keep up appearances, Saul sought to physically restrain the man of God (1 Samuel 15:22–30). In the end he committed suicide (1 Samuel 31:4).

Commentary: By contrast, the sorrow of this world regrets only sin’s discovery and leads merely to dread of the consequence of sin. Since it does not work repentance, it ends in eternal death in the lake of fire. It can also adversely affect a person’s health in this life and lead to physical death. Depression flowing from worldly sorrow can result in suicide.

The proof of the Corinthians’ godly sorrow was easy to see. Vs. 11

It brought

“earnestness,” including moral integrity, sincerity, and commitment;

“eagerness” to clear themselves;

“indignation” toward the one who wronged Paul;

“alarm,” or fear and reverence for God (cf. Phil. 2:12);

“longing” to see Paul and have fellowship with him;

“concern” for the truth and for the gospel;

and “readiness to see justice done.”

Now they had become “innocent,” or blameless, because of their repentance and because of the righting of the wrong done to Paul (see 2:9).

How does godly remorse relate to salvation?

Can there be repentance without remorse?

Could a person turn to God (in repentance) if they did NOT believe something was wrong with their relationship (sin)? What other motivations might turn us to God?

Awe at His creation?

The teachings of Jesus?

Other?

Does a person need to be convinced of:

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

That they NEED a Savior.

That they cannot save themselves.

Is there anyone here who turned to God for some reason other than the conviction of sin?

How does godly remorse figure into a Christian’s life?

To whom was this passage, 2 Corinthians, written?

2 Corinthians 1:1 (LSB) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:

Is feeling guilty for sin a failure of faith in the forgiveness of God?

How do we understand: 1 John 1:5–2:2 (LSB) And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

To whom is this written?

Vs. 6 - Those who say they have fellowship with Jesus

2:1 - My little children

Fire Bible:

(2) Believers must be aware that the sinful nature is a very real and continuous threat in their lives. Through the power of the Holy Spirit within them, Christ’s followers must constantly put to death the God-defying tendencies and actions of the sinful nature (see Ro 6:11; 8:13, notes; Gal 5:16–25).

1:9 Confess our sins.

God is more than willing to forgive us for the ways we have offended him and defied his standards. After all, that is why he sent his Son, Jesus, to die in our place and pay the penalty for our sin. But in order to receive his forgiveness, we must willingly admit that we have gone our own way and defied God. We must then submit to Jesus’ authority and allow him to purify our lives spiritually. God’s response to such humility and surrender is consistent with his faithful character (cf. Ps 143:1) and forgiving nature (cf. Jer 31:34; Mic 7:18–20; Heb 10:22–23). He will keep his promises (1) by providing complete forgiveness and restoring us to a right relationship with himself and (2) by purifying us from the guilt and destruction of sin. God does this so we can relate to him in holiness (i.e., moral purity, spiritual wholeness, separation from evil and dedication to God; Ps 32:1–5; Pr 28:13; Jer 31:34; Lk 15:18; Ro 6:2–14). See article on Biblical Words for Salvation.

1:10 Claim we have not sinned.

If we claim that we have never sinned and, therefore, do not need to accept the forgiveness provided by God through Christ’s death, we are making God appear to be a liar (cf. Ro 3:23). The false teachers that John is refuting claimed that their immoral actions were not sinful (see Ro 6:2, note that defines sin).

2:1 So that you will not sin.

John believed that born-again (cf. Ro 3:3–7) Christians are still capable of some kinds of sin.

However, he does not teach that the Christian must sin; instead, he challenges his readers to rely on God’s power so they can live without sin (cf. Ro 6:15, note; 1Th 2:10, note).

For those who do, on occasion, give in to sin and break God’s standards, the remedy is to confess and turn completely away from that sin (see 1:9, note).

Jesus’ death as “the atoning [sin-covering] sacrifice for our sins” (v. 2; cf. 1:7) and his ministry in heaven as “one who speaks to the Father in our defense” (Gk paraklëtos, our “advocate”) are the basis of our assurance of forgiveness and spiritual cleansing. This is true the first time we come to Christ to receive forgiveness and salvation, and it is also true on an ongoing basis as he continually serves as our advocate (i.e., one who speaks in court on behalf of a defendant).

What about sins we “know” are forgiven?

Psalm 103:11–12 (NLT) For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

1 John 3:19–22 (NLT) Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

CBL:

… the thought is that an oversensitive conscience can plague a Christian with unjustified guilt feelings, even though he passes such tests as the demand to love.

In such a case, we can still come to God with confidence, even though our conscience condemns us.

God is greater in knowledge than our conscience, and He is the final authority (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:3–5).

3:21. On the other hand, a person who does not suffer from an accusing conscience can have boldness toward God. “Confidence” (Greek, parrhēsian) means freedom and openness in speech, and though it referred to the return of Christ in 2:28, here it leads naturally into the topic of prayer in verse 22. “Toward God” (Greek, pros ton theon) often implies face-to-face intimacy, as one would enjoy in prayer to the Father.

3:22. When a Christian is confident of his place in God’s family, regardless of any emotions of guilt or unworthiness, he can communicate with his Father in prayer with the assurance that he is being heard. The truth that God will answer that believer’s prayer, whatever may be requested, is a strong promise.

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Acts 7:54, 58--8:1 (For context read Acts 7:51--8:1.)

Acts 7:54 (LSB) Now when they heard this, they became furious in their hearts, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.

Acts 7:58–8:1 (LSB) And when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he fell asleep. 1 Now Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

The apostle Paul is so important an interpreter of the Christian faith that we perhaps overlook that he was, at minimum, an approving bystander in the murder of the Christian deacon, Stephen. He even watched over the coats of the murderers as they did their evil deed, and rather than doing anything to stop them, he "approved of their killing him." (He was called Saul -- his Jewish name -- in this passage; Paul was his Roman name.)

Indeed, Acts 9, which tells the story of Paul's encounter with the living Christ, begins by saying, "Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem" (Acts 9:1-2).

It doesn't appear that Saul/Paul ever faced any legal penalty for his endorsement of Stephen's murder, but he took responsibility for his persecution of Christians, as his words in these verses attest:

(These verses are printed in lesson.)

"For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:9-10).

"I persecuted this [Christian] Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me" (Acts 22:4-5).

"I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom I am the foremost" (1 Timothy 1:12-15).

And he apparently found in the grace of God a call to preach: "Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8).

Questions: Would Paul have been able to accomplish what he did for the Christian movement if he had not taken responsibility for his zealous persecutions of Christians?

If not, does that mean we are ALL required to publicly admit to any sins we have committed to be able to serve God?

Why or why not?

In the Timothy passage, Paul says he "received mercy because [he] had acted ignorantly in unbelief." Do you think Paul meant that as an excuse or a description of his misunderstanding of the Christian faith or something else? And if so, what else?

Genesis 4:8-9 (For context, read Genesis 4:1-16.)

Genesis 4:8–12 (LSB) Then Cain spoke to Abel his brother; and it happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. 11 “And now, cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 “When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”

This passage is from the account of the first murder in the Bible: Cain killing his brother Abel. As Cain's response to God clearly indicates, Cain wasn't taking any responsibility for what he had done.

Questions: What was the result of Cain's unwillingness to take responsibility for his brother's death (see vv. 11-12)? Was it appropriate? Why or why not? What can we learn about God from verses 13-15?

Exodus 32:21-24 (For context, read Exodus 32:1-35.)

These verses are from the story of Israel's sin in worshiping the golden calf. Moses had been away from camp, up on Mount Sinai, receiving the Ten Commandments from God. In his absence, Moses' brother Aaron was in charge. When Moses confronted him about this sinful doing, Aaron explained, "So I said to them, 'Whoever has gold, take it off'; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!"

Questions: What do you make of Aaron's lame excuse for how the calf came to be? Why do you think he didn't want to take responsibility? What would you have liked for him to say?

Psalm 51:3-4 (For context, read Psalm 51:1-19.)

Psalm 51 is traditionally considered to be King David's prayer of confession after his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah, but note that the psalmist does not speak of sinning against any individual, but against God himself.

Back in 2008, we learned that former presidential candidate John Edwards had had an affair a couple of years before. After denying it, a tabloid magazine article made it impossible for him to keep up the protestation of innocence, and he finally owned up to it.

Edwards eventually put out a statement. In it, he admitted to "a serious error in judgment," which he also referred to as a "mistake." He also acknowledged that he conducted himself "in a way that was disloyal to [his] family and to [his] core beliefs." Several critics viewed his wording as falling short of fully taking responsibility.

Questions: In confessing that his sin is against God alone, the psalmist is taking responsibility for his wrongdoing, but can this be a completed repentance without also addressing whatever person or persons he may have sinned against? If you were a pastor hearing his prayer, what might you suggest to him?

Regarding Edwards' statement, was his wording adequate? Why or why not? How might Edwards have worded his statement differently if he had first read Psalm 51?

The Big Questions

1. What is the difference, if any, between accepting responsibility for wrongdoing and being responsible for it? What might repentance add to the acceptance or assignment of blame?

2. When is an inmate's remorse sufficient grounds for reducing a prison sentence? When might it not be sufficient grounds?

3. Since we can't fully know what is in someone's heart, what evidence would you look for to decide when a person's remorse for wrongdoing is genuine?

4. How can one make a better person of oneself, even if one cannot undo one's past wrongs? How might Jesus answer this question?

5. If you were on a parish committee seeking a pastor, how would you vote if either Pamela Smart or James Nelson were the applicant? Why? What bearing should the church's teachings on forgiveness and the grace of God have on your decision?

For Further Discussion

1. Respond to this, from preacher and author Frederick Buechner: "Guilt is the responsibility for wrongdoing. … More often than not, guilt is not merely the consequence of wrongdoing, but the extension of it. "It is about as hard to absolve yourself of your own guilt as it is to sit in your own lap. Wrongdoing sparks guilt sparks wrongdoing ad nauseam, and we all try to disguise the grim process from both ourselves and everybody else. In order to break the circuit we need friends before whom we can put aside the disguise, trusting that when they see us for what we fully are, they won't run away screaming with, if nothing worse, laughter. Our trust in them leads us to trust their trust in us. In their presence the fact of our guilt no longer makes us feel and act out our guiltiness. For a moment at least the vicious circle stops circling and we can step down onto the firm ground of their acceptance, where maybe we'll be able to walk a straight line again. 'Your sins are forgiven,' Jesus said to the paralytic, then 'Rise,' whereupon the man picked up his bed and went home (Matthew 9:2-7)."

2. Consider this, from a TWW team member: When I was in my final weeks as pastor of a particular church and preparing to move to my new assignment, the chairperson of the church's pastoral committee showed me an anonymous letter he had received in that day's mail. The committee had already interviewed and accepted the candidate the bishop had selected to be the new pastor. But the letter claimed that the candidate, while working a secular job prior to entering the ministry, had stolen some money from his place of employment and been arrested and pleaded guilty. The committee chair hadn't mentioned the letter to anyone else but had brought it to me for advice on how to proceed. We decided that we should consult the bishop's rep, but when we did, we learned that he too had received a copy of the letter and was about to contact us. Together we decided to simply have a conversation with the candidate. When we did, he acknowledged that yes, he had pleaded guilty but he hadn't done the crime. At that time, he said, he had no way to prove he had not stolen the money and didn't have the funds to mount a defense. But in exchange for a suspended sentence, he agreed to plead guilty, a decision he said he now regretted. In terms of how to proceed, the candidate asked us not to share this information with the congregation, and instead let him do it after the congregation had gotten to know him. Personally, I felt he'd have been better to reveal the story sooner, especially since none of us knew if the poison pen letter writer might strike again. And I was confident that the congregation would receive the news well. But in the end, we agreed to let the candidate make his own statement on his own timetable. The rest of us promised not to spread the news of the letter. It happened that I ran into the committee chair a few years later, and in private conversation, he told me that the candidate, now their new pastor, had not said anything at all to the congregation. He stayed at that church until he retired, was well liked and had a faithful ministry, but the claim in the anonymous letter was never mentioned. I wondered what his silence meant. Was it shame, guilt, annoyance or just a better reading of how to proceed than what I had suggested. If you had been a trusted friend of the candidate and known about the claim in the letter, what would you have advised him to do, and why?

3. How could the church at Antioch accept Paul as their teacher even though he had been involved in Stephen's death, and some members of the church were there in Antioch because they had been "scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen" (Acts 11:19-26)?

Proclaim slide

Responding to the News

Read John 8:2-11, then consider how your church, your family or your workplace might consider evaluating the "sins of another" in view of Jesus' admonishment, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Prayer

O Lord, let our regrets and resourcefulness over wrongs we have done move to true repentance, and where possible and appropriate, restitution. And may we walk with Christ in newness of life. In his name. Amen.